Ocean sea bass ($15.80) & Atlantic halibut ($13.80)!
Tuesday dinner — ocean sea bass + Atlantic halibut $15.80 + $13.80. Premium white fish plates.
Tuesday dinner with BB — ocean sea bass ($15.80) + Atlantic halibut ($13.80). Premium white fish plates split between the two of us.
We ordered:
- Ocean sea bass — $15.80
- Atlantic halibut — $13.80
Total: $29.60 for the two plates.
Sea bass and halibut are both premium white fish cuts that work well as the substantial dinner main. Both are firm-fleshed (which means they hold up to grilling, pan-searing, or roasting without falling apart), with clean mild flavours that pair with multiple cuisines.
The ocean sea bass at $15.80 was the substantial main. Likely a barramundi-style cut (the most common “sea bass” preparation in Singapore restaurants), pan-seared or grilled to crispy-skin / tender-flesh perfection. Probably served with a sauce — beurre blanc, garlic butter, Asian-style soy-ginger, or a citrus-leaning preparation.
The fish flesh was the test. Properly cooked sea bass should flake easily with a fork into clean white pieces, with the slight resistance of firm fish flesh. Overcooked sea bass goes dry and rubbery; undercooked stays translucent in the centre.
The Atlantic halibut at $13.80 was the second main. Halibut is a flatfish with the firmest white-fish flesh on the market — denser than sea bass, with a slightly sweeter clean flavour. Halibut steaks (cross-section cuts) or fillets work well pan-seared, with the proper Maillard-browned crust on the surface.
The slightly lower price on the halibut compared to the sea bass is unusual — typically halibut is the more expensive cut. The pricing may reflect this restaurant’s specific sourcing or portion sizing.
Both plates came with the standard restaurant accompaniments — vegetable sides (probably sautéed greens or roasted root vegetables), a starch base (probably rice, mashed potato, or polenta), and a sauce drizzle.
At $29.60 for two premium white fish plates this is fair sit-down restaurant pricing. The home cooking alternative would’ve been $10-15 in groceries for similar quality fish; the restaurant premium adds the kitchen execution and the sit-down format.
December dinner-out frequency had picked up slightly through the month — the year was approaching its end and we’d been catching a few small treats before the close.
Phase 2 had restored access to the premium seafood restaurant tier, and the December dinners had been the small variety break in the otherwise steady home cooking rotation.
Overall: 4.3 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Solid sea bass + halibut dinner — would repeat.
